Tool supporting means



Jan. 26, 9 e. w. SCHAFFER TOOL SUPPORTING MEANS Filed Aug. 15, 1950 INVENTOR GEORGE W. SCHAFFER ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 26, 1954 UNITED STATES eA'rEN'r orrics 2,667,092 TOOL SUPPORTING MEANS George W. Schaffer, St. Louis, Mo.

Application August 15, 1950, Serial No. 179.579

3 Claims.

This invention relates generally to tool-supporting means and more specifically to such means adapted for use in temporarily suspending a tool, an electric drill, for instance, in position for use, the predominant object of the invention being to provide a tool-supporting means oi the type mentioned above which includes a chain and a quick take-up mechanism for taking up slack in the chain in a simple manner and thereafter locking said chain in a taut condition.

Fig. l is a fragmentary side elevational view of the tool-supporting means of this invention and showing same as it appears when in use in supporting an electric drill in operating position.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical section taken through the take-up mechanism of the invention and showing said take-up mechanism in its chain locking position.

3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating the take-up mechanism in its unlocked position.

is an enlarged, horizontal section taken on line 3- 3 f Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, horizontal section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, horizontal section taken on line 55 of Fig. 2.

In the drawing, wherein is shown for purposes of illustration, merely, one embodiment of the invention, A designates an electric drill which is of ordinary construction except that it has a rod I suitably fixed to the upper portion thereof, said rod i being extended upwardly from said electric drill and having a bifurcated upper portion I. Associated with the rod I is a lever 2 a portion of which is disposed between the spaced legs of the bifurcated portion I of the rod I, said lever being pivoted to said spaced legs of said bifurcated portion by means of a pivot element 3. Pivotally attached to an end of the lever 2 by a pivot element 4 is a head member 5, said head member being in the form of a housing which is open at the bottom thereof and said housing having disposed therein for rotation a sprocket wheel 6.

The structure of this invention includes a takeup mechanism I which comprises a housing 3, said housing being open at the top and bottom and at one side thereof, as is shown to good advantags in Figs. 2 and 3, and being closed at an opposed side by a wall 9 having an irregular inner face it. A sprocket chain II is secured at an end thereof by a fastening device l2 in a 2 position between the opposed walls 8' of the housing 8 and this chain extends upwardly from its point of attachment to said housing 8 to the sprocket wheel 6 disposed within the head member 5 over which said chain passes. From the sprocket wheel 6 the chain passes downwardly through the housing 8 in close proximity to the irregular inner face ill of the wall 9 of housing 8, said downwardly extended chain portion having a hook I0 fixed to its lower end which serves a purpose to be hereinafter explained.

The take-up mechanism 1 incIudes a chain clamping member M which is provided with a face No that is shaped in accordance withthe shape of the face 10 of the wall 9 of the housing 8, said clamping member I 4 having angularly projected extensions I5 at the opposite ends thereof to which links 16 are pivotally attached. The links l5 have links I! pivotally attached thereto and said links i? in turn are pivotally attached by pivots I8 to the spaced walls 8' of the housing 8. The clamping member 14 has related thereto an operating lever it which is pivoted within the housing 8 by a pivot element 20, said operating lever being provided with a handle portion Na and a cam portion 19b which contacts with the clamping member l4, as is shown in Figs. 2 and 3. It is to be noted that the irregularly shaped faces [0 and Ma of the wall 8 of the housing I and the chain clamping member IA, respectively, are shaped so that a portion of the chain II will be closely gripped between said irregularly shaped faces when the chain clamping member I4 is in its chain clamping position, as is shown in Fig. 2. As a result .of this situation there will be no slippage of the chain with respect to the housing 8 when the chain is in a clamped position.

In the use of the mechanism of the present invention the bit A of the electric drill A is arranged at the place where a hole is to be drilled in a member, the member 2|, for in stance. The book 13 is then caused to engage a stationary part of the structure on which work is being done, Fig. 1 showing said hook engaging the member 2| in which a hole is to be drilled, the operating lever l9 first having been moved to the position in which it is shown in Fig. 3 so that the sprocket chain ll may move freely through the housing 8 of. the take-up mechanism and said housing 8 being moved downwardly of the sprocket chain until said sprocket chain is taut. The operating lever is then moved to the position in which it is shown in Fig. 1 so as to cause the cam portion I 9b of said operat- 3 ing lever to lock the chain and the housing 8 toether whereupon the mechanism is ready for use in drilling a hole in the member 2|.

By referring to Figs. 1 and it will be noted that angularly extended, inttuned extensions 22 are formed on the spaced side wall 8 of the housing 8 of the take-up mechanism 1 at the bottoms thereof. These extensions abut against each other at their inner edges, as is shown to good advantage in Fig. 5, and they serve to brace said side walls so as to prevent relative inward movement thereof. Also, at the upper ends of the spaced, side walls of the housing 8 of the take-up mechanism I, said side walls are pro vided with portions 23 which are bent inwardly slightly and which frictionally grip the operating lever [B so as to retain said operating leve in its elevated, chain-clamping position shown in Fig. 2.

I claim:

l. A take-up mechanism for a tool supporting means comprising a tool having an extended part, a lever pivotally attached to said extended part of said tool, a head pivotally attached to said lever, a rotatable member supported by said head, and a flexible element operating over said rotatable member, said take-up mechanism comprising a housing within which an end portion of said flexible element is attached and through which another portion of said flexible element extends, and means forming part of said takeup mechanism for clamping and releasing said other portion of said flexible element with re spect to said housing, said means comprising a clamping member movable toward and from a wall of said housing for clamping a portion of said flexible element between said clamping member and said wall of said housing, and for releasing said portion of said flexible element for movement relative to said clamping member and said wall of said housing, and means for moving said clamping member comprising a lever pivoted to said housing and having a cam portion which engages and moves said clamping member on movement of said lever.

2. A take-up mechanism for a tool supporting means comprising a tool having an extended part, a lever pivotally attached to said extended part of said tool, a head pivotally attached to said lever, a rotatable member supported by said head, and a flexible element operating over said rotatable member, said takeup mechanism comprising a housing within which an end portion of said flexible element is attached and through which another portion of said flexible element extends, and means forming part of said take-up mechanism for clamping and releasing said other portion of said flexible element with respect to said housing, said means comprising a clamping member movable toward and from a wall of said housing for clamping a portion of said flexible element between said clamping member and said wall of said housing, and for releasing said portion of said flexible element for movement relative to said clamping member and said wall of said housing, linkage for supporting said clamping member for movement, and means for moving said clamping member comprising a lever pivoted to said housing and having a cam portion which engages and moves said clamping member on movement of said lever.

3. A take-up mechanism for a tool supporting means comprising a tool having an exten dill part, a lever pivotally attached to said extz iied part of said tool, a head pivotally attached to said lever, a rotatable member supported by said head, and a flexible element operating over said rotatable member, said take-up mechanism comprising a housing within which an end portion of said flexible element is attached and through which another portion of said flexible element extends, and means forming part of said take-up mechanism for clamping and releasing said other portion of said flexible element with respect to said housing, said means comprising a clamping member movable toward and from a wall of said housing for clamping a portion of said flexible element between said clamping member and said wall of said housing, and for releasing said portion of said flexible element for movement relative to said clamping member and said wall of said housing, said clamping member and said wall of said housing being provided with faces so shaped as to facilitate gripping said portion of said flexible element therebetween.

GEORGE W. SCHALE'FER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 420,962 Reimers Feb. 11, 1890 1,097,709 Fosselman May 26, 1914 2,374,875 McMurphy May 1, 1945 

